No one had to be evicted since the properties were abandoned, vacant and a continuing hazard, village officials said.

“We were excited to see first of all that sort of grant available to us,” Village Administrator Tim Savage said. “And we were equally as excited when we got a decent award. Overall (the housing stock) is in very good shape. We just have a couple of problem areas and a couple of problem properties.”

This was the first year the village applied for the grant money. The village will provide a $12,500 match. Through another IHDA program, the village also has received $361,200 to help qualified residents rehabilitate homes.

“By obtaining these grants, the village can help to improve neighborhoods by preserving property values, which, in turn, makes Machesney Park more attractive,” said James Richter, the village's community development director, in an email. “Machesney Park has a mix of new and mature housing stock. So many of our residents take excellent care of their homes and yards, while a few don’t necessarily have the resources to do so.”

Demolition is expected to continue for the next few weeks.

“It’s about time,” Wilshire Drive resident Bernice Williams said.

Derrick Quinlin, also a Wilshire Drive resident, noticed the home at the corner being razed this week.

“It was in bad shape,” he said. “It looked like it had gone through some rough times.”

N-Trak Group in Loves Park received the bid to do the demolition work.

Susan Vela: 815-987-1392; svela@rrstar.com; @susanvela

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